I am looking to do another high altitude peak within the next year orso. I went to the Cordillera Blanca 2 years ago and that was a great experience (and cheap to boot!). I'll probably go back there some day but want to see some other part of the world for my next trip. I was researching Kili and Aconcagua but those trips seem really expensive if you use a guiding service (actually mandatory on Kili); I'm guessing because they are part of the 7 summits list?

Long story short, I may consider some other peaks that are much cheaper to get to and was looking at Ojos Del Salado. Has anyone done it? How does it compare to some other great ranges of the world? The landscape around it looks pretty barren but impressive in ways. Wondering if it's a worthwhile trip and good alternative? Any other areas to consider? I am mainly after a scenic landscape and some interesting high altitude peak.

I'm going to Ojos del Salado in 2 weeks. I'll approach it from Argentina and will try to climb some of the 6000 meter peaks in the area. Technically it should be an easy scramble, though altitude and severe wearther conditions can make it quite extreme.

In 2002 I climbed Aconcagua solo in the early winter season, March / April. Later that year in November I climbed Kilimanjaro. When I'm back I can give you more detailed info about how they compare to Ojos del Salado.

And you're right about the permit prices for the Seven Summits. So many people want to climb those peaks so permit prices rise sky high. I was on Aconcagua 3 times between 1999 and 2002 and all 3 times I only paid 40 US$ for my permit. Now the permit price is about 750 US$ per person in high season.

Thanks Boris! I am also thinking about doing Aconcagua unguided. Do you have an itinerary somewhere on the planning you did? When doing the normal route, it looks like you can just hire some donkey support for your gear and do the rest on your own. Seems like a good alternative.

Earlier this year I did the road trip through Brasil and Argentina, and hiked to Ojos del Salado. I was surprised how little information is available about accessing the area and all. If you don't want to book with a commercial company it's almost like you're doing a first ascent. After taking 10 different busses and a taxi I reached the starting point from Argentina. The size of the area is overwhelming. Distances are huge, walking for hours often hardly changes the landscape around you. I hiked all the way to the basecamp at 5.500 meter and did some exploring there. But due to bad weather and shortage of food I had to turn back. Still an awesome trip. Definitely worth to go back there one day.

See my album for some impressions of the trip, including some pics of Ojos (free access, don't need a fb account). And If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.